Montana Hunting season opens
September 7th, 2005 by Administrator
Hunting season opens with a few restrictions - It’s the time of year many Montana outdoorsmen have been waiting the past nine months for - hunting season.
Grouse, partridge, turkey and dove seasons opened on Sept. 1, and on Sept. 3 general archery season opened for deer, elk and antelope.
But this year is much dryer than normal hunting seasons and relief isn’t in sight, said Vivica Crowser, spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Missoula.
“A lot of traditional things we think of during hunting season are restricted,” Crowser said.
Driving or parking off road is illegal, as are campfires. A large portion of the state is still under stage 1 or stage 2 fire restrictions, she said.
People need to be cognizant of the fact that a muzzle blast, bullet ricochet or hot exhaust pipe could start a fire, Crowser said.
State law requires people to carry a bucket and shovel with them while traveling in the woods. Extra water is also a good idea, she said.
Hunters who want to shoot a turkey in Ravalli County this fall, but forgot to put in for a tag are in luck, Crowser said.
Turkey populations in the area have done well over the past several years and so FWP had 300 permits available for the fall hunt, but they didn’t receive that many applications. Starting this week they will be selling 113 turkey permits for the Ravalli County hunting unit, which is west of the Bitterroot River, north of Tin Cup Creek.
On the big game side, archery hunters pursuing deer, elk and antelope need to be aware of the warm weather when field dressing and processing their kill, said Marty Auch, owner of Hamilton Packing Company.
The real work happens once the animal is down, Auch said.
“The biggest thing is to get it out and get it to a cooler as fast as you can,” he said. “You’ve just got to be quicker than usual.”
The hot weather always presents a challenge in getting meat cooled. Once the animal is down, gutting and skinning it need to happen immediately. If the animal won’t be out of the woods and to a cooler that day, then it needs to be hung to cool it down, Auch said.
Leaving an animal on the ground overnight is a sure way to spoil some of the meat, he said.
Hanging the meat allows for air circulation which cools it faster, especially as nights get colder and colder.
Also, hunters who pack their meat out need to get it cooled before they put it into a backpack or on a horse, he said.
Auch also suggest hunters use game bags, which keep flies and dirt off the meat.
“You just have to be fairly quick,” he said. “The first 10 to 12 hours are the most critical.”
Reporter Greg Lemon can be reached at 363-3300 or at glemon@ravallirepublic.com
by GREG LEMON - Ravalli Republic